What Do I Do Today?
Oct 17
I remember when I first started internet marketing I would excitedly come to my desk every morning. I would check my email, and I would do a little of this, and a little of that. I would spend HOURS doing this and that, and the other thing. I eventually became pretty frustrated because I wasn’t making any MONEY!!
Over time I started to realize (of course this is simple trial and error) that some activities are more beneficial than others. Some activities make me money, and some just waste my time. I started doing more of the money making activities, and low and behold I started making more money.
Then I started realizing that if I looked at what I was trying to accomplish (my goal) I could figure out exactly what I needed to do to make it happen ~ then I made even MORE money.
What I’m trying to say is all computer activities are NOT created equal. This is an important lesson to learn early in your internet marketing career, especially if you only have a couple hours a day/week to spend on it. Spending your time engaged in specific money making activities will take you much further than 80 hours a week spent doing time waster activities.
I understand when you’re new to IM it’s hard to know what the “money maker” activities are so let’s take a look at how you can know what to do today.
1. Know your goal.
It’s imperative to keep where you are going in sight. It’s much easier to redirect yourself in the right direction when you get distracted (and you WILL get distracted) if you know what your goal is.
We’re going to stick with Christmas Cash goals for my examples, but this will work for any goal you are working on.
Goal: Get 10 lenses in the top 5 of Google.
Make sure you goal is big enough to give you enough to do. If you set your goal at 1 lens in the top 5 there is going to be a lot of down time that you could be using. Some things in internet marketing just take time ~ time that’s out of your control. Google takes time to find your links, EZA takes time to approve articles, Google takes time to rank your lens ~ you have no control over that, so you want to be working on enough that you have stuff to do even when you are stuck waiting on things.
2. Take Stock of Where You Are Now.
Your goal is 10 lenses in the top 5 of Google. Where are you now? Do you have 15 lenses that aren’t doing anything ~ but they’re published? Do you have 1 lens that’s half finished. Do you have 10 lenses that are half finished but not published.
Look where you are at, and then move forward from there.
3. Check your mindmap
Check where you are on the mindmap and create your action steps from there.
I did this yesterday. I took stock of where I was and realized I had a bunch of lenses that were done, but weren’t doing anything. Some of them were indexed, some of them weren’t. I looked at the mind map and realized I needed to make more links (since I was finished creating good content). That’s what I focused on all day long.
If you have 1 lens half finished you’ll start up at the content creation part. Finish your lens, and then move on to the link building portion of the mindmap.
If you have lenses that are done, indexed and ranking on page 2 or 3 you will want to go right to the building links section and get started ~ because more links will drive them up the search engine ranking.
As you can see your actions will directly reflect where you are in reference to your goal.
3. Create a system and plan of action.
A huge part of niche marketing is being able to keep track of everything. It can be a huge stumbling block for beginners and experienced marketers alike. (myself included lol). The thing is, if you can manage to keep track of your stuff you’ll have a lot less work to do. It’s much easier to get what you’ve already gotten done working better than it is to just create new stuff. Like I did yesterday I had to look at what I already had and decided I was dropping the ball and got my butt in gear. 
Creating a system is a great way to keep track of everything. Whether you’re a paper person or a computer person you can create a system that works for you. You can get a composition notebook and write down the name/title/keywords for your lens and then keep track of the linking you do by date ~ and the position of your lens by date. You could also do all this on excel or something similar.
***SIDE NOTE***
Please do not consider creating a system an invitation to OBSESS. It is not. It is a way for you to keep moving in the right direction. Please don’t spend all your time checking your rankings. This is not a money making activity, it is a time wasting activity. It will take time for your links to be found and your lens to move up ~ just accept that. If you know you’re going to be working on a set of lenses or one lens go ahead and check the stats real quick so you can get an idea how what you did last affected your lens, and how much more you need to do, but do NOT let stat checking take over your life ~ really I speak from experience here too.
Back to the original programming…
Once you’ve got a system for keeping track of all your stuff, make sure you add each new thing you do to the system. Then you need to work on a plan of action.
What is it you need to do and how are you going to do it?
I got my system put together yesterday, and I went through and started at the beginning of the linking section of the mindmap. I did new posts on all the free ad blogs I could find for each of my lenses. Since I have 1 Way Links and it doesn’t take long to do I put up posts there for all the lenses I was working on. (which is a batch of 13 right now)
That all took a while and it was time for me to go do other things by the time I was done, so I noted where I was at, and what I had to do next.
In fact, I wrote on the calendar for today that I would be working on blog posts for all the lenses. Now when I’m done with this ~ getting very long winded ~ blog post I will know exactly what I need to work on all day.
What’s gonna work?
That completely depends on you. There are an infinite number of ways you can set this up, it has to be what’s going to work for you. Here’s a few things that work for me. I do suggest if you have short amounts of time you can work you figure this all out BEFORE that time. Don’t spend you “work” time trying to figure out what you need to do, know exactly what you’re doing when you sit down. I often figure this out after Hanna’s gone to bed. Then I’m all set when it’s time to sit at the computer the next morning.
Here’s some tools I use to keep me moving forward, focused, and working.
1. Day Planner.
I have a weekly day planner on my desk, where I write any appoinments, but also the tasks I plan to accomplish for the day. Now sometimes it gets buried under a bunch of crap, but I’m pretty good about digging it out.
2. Accountability partner.
I have a partner I get on the phone with each morning (this should be a short call ~ 15 min). We go over what we accomplished yesterday, any problems we had, celebrate successes, and then identify tasks to accomplish today.
This has been a huge help for me, keeps me on track, and when I’m feeling lazy I know I’m going to have to tell someone else I was lazy so I usually keep going.
3. Timer.
Yep ~ the good old egg timer, although now it’s the digital edition. I keep a timer on my desk for a couple reasons. If I need a break and start doing something that can be a time suck (email) I set the timer for 10 minutes so I don’t get lost. I also use it to give myself some motivation, especially when building links ~ I go all out for 10 minutes. It was a huge surprise to me how much more I get done when the timer is ticking away. lol.
Ok ~ we’re moving toward epic novel length for this post so I’m going to wrap it up. (dang my mom just called and totally disrupted my train of thought ~ can’t remember what I was gonna say).
1. Know your goal.
2. Take stock of where you’re at.
3. Identify what you need to do (specifically) to get to your goal.
4. Create a plan so you know exactly what you need to do.
That’s what you do today ~ and every day to keep moving directly toward your goal.
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I think I need to take a break. I’m getting way too distracted and it’s taking a lot of effort to get my articles up, revising the content every time. Once I get this new lens linked, I think I have to chill for a bit. I’ve done 20+ lenses. My goal was 50 for the summer, but I don’t think that’s happening..
Lisa @ Minka Aire F518´s last blog ..Minka Aire F518 White Ceiling Fan Light updated Tue Aug 3 2010 8-25 am CDT
Internet marketing is a lot of effort. Just realize if you quit/take a break now your stuff will not be ready for Christmas and you won’t make the money you could make.
Are your lenses ranking for their keywords in Google? If they aren’t it doesn’t really matter how many lenses you’ve MADE ~ if no one can find them in Google it’s as though they don’t exist.
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Some of my lenses are on page one of Google. No sales yet. My stats are pretty dismal. I have done all of these over the last 30 days. Does it take a while to see traffic after you’ve made a good lens and done linking and rank on Google?
Lisa @ Minka Aire F518´s last blog ..Minka Aire F518 White Ceiling Fan Light updated Tue Aug 3 2010 8-25 am CDT
where are they ranking on google? If you’re ranking near the top ~ you might need to look at your keyword research. If you’re not getting traffic from top/near top positions it may be that your kw don’t have enough search volume.
The farther down the page you are ranking the less traffic you’ll see.
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Hey Kenny,
Great question. I’ve answered it in a whole new post. (I get asked it a lot)
Here you go:
Should I use keywords in my article titles?
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hi jackie!
I was looking over your mind maps and i noticed that you said in the “create links” section, to ” do not use keywords in title. ? Could use explain this to me and anyone else that is perplexed? Because that is one of the things that i do to get links back to my lenses so that i can get traffic from google BEFORE the lense is indexed.
Have I been doing something wrong all this time? Talk to me! Please!
Thanx!
Kenneth L. White(call me kenny!)´s last blog ..Best Porn Blockers… updated Wed May 5 2010 12:30 pm CDT
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Here’s a basic rule to keep in mind. If it provides value to the reader it will be ok.
Will just a list of links to other sites be of value to your readers? Of course not. Would 3 or 4 links to more information about a topic they’re interested in be of value? of course it will.
Even if you never get any readers to this blog because it is simply for linking purposes if you stick with this rule you won’t go wrong.
Why would you worry about putting more than one link in a post? It’s not about the number of links it’s about the quality of content and how the links fit into that content.
What rules are you concerned about with the free blogs? I’m just asking because other than wordpress.com there aren’t many rules on the free blogs. So let me know and maybe we can alleviate some of those fears.
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Jackie, thanks for a very clear post. You may notice I’m coming back to your older posts to refresh my memory. Link building is a problem and I’m having trouble keeping up with all the rules of the free blogs. I notice in one of your replies you mention that you promote more than one lens in one blog post. I always afraid it will make the link less valuable. What do you think? I’m just scared. I have to admit that it makes sense if you have a few related ones that one blog post should work?
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Those are terms talking about micro niche finder software.
micro niche finder MNF
strength of competition ~ SOC
commercial intent ~ OCI
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Mindmap question: What do the terms SOC, MNF and OCI stand for? Thanks
Odie…
IM is an art and a skill ~ it takes time. You can’t expect to just “get it” and get it all done in a minute. If you keep taking consistent action ~ stay focused on money making activities you will do fine. The only way you fail is if you give up.
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I currently have 4 christmas lenses that need finishing touches. My plan of action is to just finish the 4 lenses and start the 4 blogs, and the linking. Does this sound like a great start.
Although I have learned alot about Squidoo I feel that I am stuck because sometimes it takes me all day to do something. I am following the Christmas blueprint plan. Having at least 4-5 lenses in the works (currently, yes I am going to have them reviewed by Jackie because she has helped me so much) I still have to do backlinking blogs and whatever else to have this going, I am still confused some days on where to start.
Thanks Jackie – that makes perfect sense and thank you for such a quick answer.
Thanks Jackie!
I knew how to do it like you said. I thought you had some miracle way to make it faster, but I guess not.
Oh well, I’ll just go back to the tedious way of doing it.
Thanks!
Cindy
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Hey Jade ~
Questions are cool here!!
1. I usually just pick 3 or 4 of them. Then I have some I can go back to if I need more links.
2. I always rewrite somehow. If I am linking to quite a few lenses I’ll just switch up paragraphs and change the first and last paragraph. If it’s a short post just going to one place I’ll just rewrite the whole thing.
3. I feel (and have no proof) that you need at least 150 words. You’ve got to get some content around your link so the link is relevant to the content, with such a short post it would be difficult to do that. It’s important that your post is relevant because the blog isn’t. Hope that makes sense.
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Hi Jackie – fantastic blog and super helpful advice, thank you.
Quick question re your Mind Map – in the free ad blog section – do you have a preference for any of the blogs or do you write a blog post in each of them for each lens you build. Does that make sense, hope it does?
And do you rewrite the post for each blog or just the heading and say, first paragraph.
I also noticed some of the posts in the blogs are very short, about 6 lines, does a short post like that work with the search engines?
The quick question just grew to 3 questions, sorry
Jade
Hey Cindy ~ good weekends are important!!
You just go to google and put in the keyword you targeted your lens for, and see if it comes up ~ if it’s not on the first page, check the second, I usually only check 3 pages in, more than that is time wasting. lol.
Good luck.
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Hi Jackie!
How do you check your rankings on Google? I do not know if I really want the answer to this or not because I DO get sidetracked easily, but what the heck, I’m going to have to check my rankings eventually!
Sorry, I’m a little behind on your posts, but my hubby told me there was going to be no working over this past weekend and he meant it! We had a great weekend!
Thanks!
Cindy
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@Michael It can be discouraging, especially if you are stat checking too often. You have to give Google time to do it’s stuff ~ I would say don’t check your rankings more than once a week.
Don’t be too hard on yourself ~ being focused is just part of learning how to work from home and part of internet marketing ~ it gets better the more you practice, like anything. Give yourself credit for the time you are focused, and strive for a little longer the next time. Give yourself lots of short (timed) breaks, and set up some rewards in your day. Ex. Once I get all the blog post links done for my lenses I’m gonna play Wii for 15 minutes or 30 or whatever motivates you ~ but don’t do it until you finish your goal. That sometimes helps for me.
Hang in there ~ you can do it.
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Ranking makes you feel disappointed. From time to time, you’re checking your ranking just to see that you’re not yet in the top rank. Absolutely, waste of time.
Personally, I find it hard to stay on focus with my daily routine. Maybe, because of my age, I’m still out of focus sometimes. Still hoping that eventually, I’ll learn how to make myself more organized than ever.
No problem Lou ~
In my experience I have not used it for competitive keywords on my bigger sites ~ for niche kw it seems to work quite well. I think the fact that the content (your post) is relevant to the link is more than enough. As long as you are using kw anchor text, and writing content around that link that is relevant I think you’re fine.
The first month is only 7 dollars ~ I decided to try it for the month. If I didn’t see improved rankings I would just cancel before I had to pay again, but I’m seeing enough results to keep paying.
Jackie
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Hi Jackie,
Sorry to bug you on the 1WayLinks product again.
I see that there are 2600 or so blogs in Jon’s network. But, importantly, how has your experience been with increased ranking (and thus traffic) using his product ?
My point being if you are promoting say a diet product, does it do any good to link to someone who has a golf site for example ? In other words, do you think link quality matters ? or is it just the number of links that counts and therefore you are getting a higher google ranking anyway?
Thanks again for your time.
Lou
Hey Jackie,
Most of the lenses were published about 2 weeks ago so perhaps it will just take more time and more links. Product keyword is what I am using for my anchor text and I have submitted my lensmaster RSS feed to about 25 directories.
Thanks for the quick response, I will let them sit a bit while I keep working on more lenses. I would just to see some traffic showing up on my stats when I log into my squidoo account, I hate seeing a whole bunch of zeros under the visits column
Hopefully that will change soon.
Chad
I have yet to really venture out and do Squidoo..have started experimenting with it but no $$ is trickling in as yet. I hope to have my own squidoo christmas cash lens done soon.
@Mark ~ I’ve never been a compulsive stat checker, but I am easily distracted. I have found however that I can usually stay on task for 30 minutes. (barring toddler problems). So I set my timer for 30 minutes and tell myself “only this” for the next 30 minutes. (this being whatever I need to work on). It works pretty well for me.
@Kathy For this christmas cash stuff I have a composition notebook. Probably not the best way but I really do still love to write on paper.
I have a page for each lens with the keywords, title of the lens, url for the lens. I also have down date and what I did for linking, as well as where the lens is the day I do the linking. It would probably be easier to just create an excel spreadsheet, but like I said ~ I like paper. 
@Chad ~ congrats on moving forward ~ $300 is a good start. I certainly hadn’t made that in my first 7 months.
I do not submit my lenses to any of the search engines directly. How long has it been since you published your lens and did the linking? It does take some time for Google to find stuff. Have you submitted your lensmaster RSS feed to directories? I find that helps a lot. Make sure you’re using your KW as the anchor text of your links ~ that will help too. Just give it a little bit of time, and work on new lenses while you’re waiting. Some get indexed almost immediately ~ some it takes a while? Not sure why ~ it just is.
@BCarter ~ I actually have a real digital egg timer that sits on my desk. I’m sure if you google online timer you will be able to find one ~ or just grab one at the grocery store. I think ours was only like 3 bucks.
@Lou ~ Hi ~ linking is seriously one of my downfalls too. I’m getting to the point I’m ready to outsource some of it, but not quite yet. For 1 way links you need to provide a wordpress.org “donor” blog for the network. It doesn’t have to have any specific PR or anything. I set up a brand new one the day I joined. Jonathon has other 2 way and 3 way link sites (I think that’s what they’re called) but I’ve not really looked into them, there may be a requirement for them??
Once you’ve provided the “donor” blog you can link to any site you want in the posts you submit for publishing. I usually link to 3 different lenses from each article to spread my links out.
@everybody Thanks for all the awesome feedback. I really appreciate it.
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Hi Jackie,
Great post. Thanks. For me off page SEO (link building) is the most difficult task for some reason. I think I need something like 1 Way Links. I’ve been told ,however that you need a page rank of at least one to get your site(lens) into 1 Way Links. Is that correct ?
Thanks for your time.
Lou
P.S. With all the free content you give us I think we shouldn’t call you Jackie Lee. It should be Jackie “O” for “over-deliver” !
I’m going to go searching, but where do I find a free version of a timer. That is really a great idea. I always start my day by checking my emails, but before all is said and done I find myself having to get ready for work.
Thank you once again for the great insights.
Brenda
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Good Post Jackie,
It is very difficult not getting distracted and staying on task. I have been doing interment marketing for about 7 months now and have made at total of about $300 so far. Not great but a start. I am also a stay at home parent, a Dad instead of a Mom but I am trying to get to the point of ensuring that I do not need to go back and get a “job”, this is my job now.
My wife is back to work full time after maternity leave and we just could not find a daycare the we liked so after much thought I decided to quit my old job and look after my daughter, who is now 15 months old and I want to ensure that I stay home for her but we need to replace my income. I have till July of 2010 to make this work so I have been working very diligently.
So needless to say time is of the essence now and staying on task and focused is vital to success. The mind map is brilliant. I am doing the Squidoo Christmas Cash Blueprint right now as a break from my other internet marketing stuff and I believe link building is more vital than ever, even with product specific keywords.
Do you submit your Squidoo lens URL to google, yahoo, etc? I currently have 6 published lens, my own Christmas type blog, all the free ad post done, socially booked marked, a few EZA articles on some, hubpages/weebly on others but my lenses are not even indexed by google yet. Is it just a matter of more time and more links?
I would love to hear your thoughts. Sorry for the length of the comment but I did my best to keep it short.
Gotta get back to work!
Chad
sorry for the second comment, but I have a qwerstion for you.
How and where do you keep track of all your links going all over the place so you can get your hands on them without having to go crazy to locate them?
My organizational skills are really not what I need right now to be more efficient and proficient.
Thanks,
Kathy
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Thanks, I needed that. I to daudle a lot of time away. In fact maybe most of it. Shame on me. I know better and can do better.
You give great advice and it good see I am not alone in this jungle of distractions.
Keep up the good work and the great sharing information.
Kathy
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This is so timely – I have come to the conclusion that my time management skills are pretty useless. It is difficult enough to fit in internet marketing alongside a full-time job, but I find myself getting easily distracted. I find myself obsessing over lens content and getting stuck so find myself getting diverted into things I like doing, but does not provide much in the way of income. Apart from being a compulsive stats checker, which I do in a completely disorganized way anyway. Your post has reminded me to that I do have a goal and a plan – I just need to stick to it!
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Thank you for this. I have been in the internet for the last one year and to be honest with you I have never made money. I write but until recently after I have been reading your posts, I never took link building seriously. Right now I am trying very much to put link building as one of my primary objective and I have to do it as often as I can. Thank you again, I am one of those people who used to concentrate on non money making activities, but since I started concentrating on link building, I can some light at the end of the tunnel. Keep up, you are an inspiration.
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